Somewhere
by Shiningheart of ThunderClan
Summary: Odd is starting to feel lonely. He's the only one out of the Lyoko gang that doesn't seem to have a soul mate. Could a new transfer student change that, with her sharp tongue and bitter sarcasm? Chapter 3 up!
1. Somewhere

_**((Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko, or the song Somewhere by Within Temptation. But it's an awesome song!))**_

Odd was depressed. He could only stomach five plates of food instead of the usual 10. It was worrying the others, but they seemed too wrapped up in each other to really confront him about it. At the moment, Yumi and Ulrich were on a date, watching a movie. Aelita and Jeremy were at the factory, working on some new programs together. Most would think that wasn't really a date. But to two nerds, it was the most romantic thing in the world.

And here was Odd, wandering around aimlessly in the park long after the sun went down. Not that the darkness would help if anyone was looking for him. His hair was like a beacon of light whenever he wanted to be alone. That was the only bad thing about it, but he wouldn't change his hair for anything. He heaved a long sigh, watching his breath billow out in the cold air.

It was almost amazing, really, that he was the only one alone tonight. About two months ago, Ulrich finally mustered up the guts to ask Yumi out. They'd been going out ever since. Even Mr. and Mrs. Einstein, the geniuses that they were, seemed to be spending more time together. Wasn't it supposed to be the smart kids that had no life? That were cooped up in their rooms all night, surfing the net? Though, technically, that _was_ what the two were doing…

"_Lost in the darkness, hoping for a sign,  
instead there's only silence, can't you here my screams?"_

Odd stopped dead in his tracks as the ghostly haunted melody passed through his ears. If he had been on Lyoko, those cat ears would have pricked to further catch the words.

"_Never stop hoping, need to know where you are.  
But one thing's for sure, you're always in my heart."_

The musician in him immediately recognized the song **Somewhere**, by Within Temptation. The flirt in him wanted to go find the obvious female voice and make a few moves. The human being within him wanted to find the voice that held so much sadness in it and comfort. Whichever essence he followed, he'd still find that girl. He looked around, trying to find out just where that sad voice was coming from. He'd once heard Ms. Hertz say something about some type of night bird doing this. But Odd never pays attention in class, so what would he know?

_"I'll find you somewhere, I'll keep on trying.  
Until my dying day. I just need to know  
Whatever has happened, the truth  
will free my soul!"_

With that and a quick nod of determination, Odd went off the beaten pathway of the park into the overgrown bushes. Just pushing past those were a pain in his butt. Thorns tore at his skin and clothes, getting stuck in his shirt and tangling in his hair. He hissed silently to himself as a thorn dug particularly deep into his thigh. He'd have to use tweezers to get that one out...

_"Lost in the Darkness, trying to find your way home.  
I want to embrace you, and never let you go!  
Almost hope you're in heaven, so no one, can hurt your soul."_

Odd quickened his pace, fighting against thorns and brambles to get to where the voice was. He couldn't explain the sudden near desperation to get to the girl. Perhaps the sadness in her voice was just calling out to him. Maybe it's just because he wanted to get out of the thorns and brambles. Maybe he was just bored. He doubted even Jeremy would know.

_"Living in agony,  
cause I just do not know. Where you are.  
__"I'll find you somewhere, I'll keep on trying.  
Until my dying day. I just need to know  
Whatever has happened, the truth  
will free my soul!"_

He slowed down his wild sprint, trying to get his bearings again. Now it sounded like the voice was... behind him? Odd spun around, and his breath caught in his throat. The most beautiful and hypnotizing pair of eyes were staring back at him, a mixture of shining gold and glinting amber. He didn't seem to notice any other outlandish feature, which was out of the ordinary for Odd. He didn't notice the glossy, raven-colored hair that fell in ringlets down a slender back. He didn't see the pale-as-a-ghost skin glow in the shafts of moonlight the trees allowed. He didn't notice the dark blue tank top that showed off her... _assets_ rather nicely, or the baggy black jeans that sagged down her hips. He only saw those orbs of molten amber and the undertone of sadness as she continued her song.

_"Wherever you are, I won't stop searching  
Whatever it takes, need to know!"_

Odd didn't even try to resist as she pulled on his hands, seeming to lead him into a type of dance. He just went with it, doing what both her and his instincts told him to. Whatever it took to keep eye contact with her. Together, they twirled around the clearing to the melody in their heads, twisting and turning whatever way the silent rhythm took them. The mysterious girl slowed them to a stop in the biggest beam of silver, letting her eyes take their full hypnotizing affect as she continued her haunting melody.

_"I'll find you somewhere  
I'll keep on trying until my dying day  
I just need to know whatever has happened,  
The truth will free my soul."_

For far more than a minute after the song ended, they just stood there. Odd was trying to think of something to say, opening and closing his mouth as words came and went through his mind. The girl was content to just stand there, smiling at the boy that had been drawn by her song. He was rather cute, she supposed. His blond hair, catching the light from the silver orb, seemed to turn to silver fire on top of his head. As they had danced, she had discovered that he had quite a bit of muscles under his odd purple clothing. The most peculiar thing about him was the purple diamond on his head. Her smile widened slightly as she thought, _'Yup, he sure is an Oddball.'_

Finally deciding on something, he opened his mouth to speak. But a call from a familiar voice caused both him and the girl to look back at where he had originally come from. "Odd, where are you!?" Called Ulrich's voice. "Xana is attacking!" Odd tensed up and glanced at the girl. Instead of seeing a confused face, he simply saw her smile drop. "ODD?!?!"

Odd turned back to the girl, a near-tortured look on his face. While he didn't say anything, his thoughts were clear. The girl smiled and stood on her toes, lightly kissing his cheek. Odd shivered as her breath breezed past his ear. "My name is Alana Faye. We will soon meet again. Very soon, Oddball."

Odd blinked at the name. That was all it took for her to turn around and disappear into the surrounding trees. Another shout from Ulrich shook Odd out of his stupor, and he ran back through the brambles and thorns, no longer caring. _'Alana Faye, huh?'_ Odd thought, a growing smile on his face. _'I know we'll meet again. I'll make sure of it.'_

_**((First chapters suck, ne? Thanks for reading, please review!))**  
_


	2. I Will Always Be With You

**_((*roasting marshmallows over _**rAiNbOwZ's **_Flame* Thanks, dude, I've been wanting these forever! *hands out marshmallows to all GOOD reviewers*  
I own Alana Fay. That's pretty much it.))_**

Odd leaped behind a pile of rocks and boulders in the mountain region of Lyoko. He winced as the laser of a block caught him on the leg. He rubbed the tingling feeling away as he was joined by Aelita and Yumi. Both females cast a curious glance in his direction, but neither turned to meet his eye. It was clear to everyone there, including himself, that Odd wasn't... entirely there. Every time he was about to shoot an arrow, those amber eyes would flash into his mind, like a ghost that wouldn't leave him alone. His aim was sloppy, and he only just barely managed to dodge the offending lasers. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get that Alana chick out of his head.

Soon enough, Ulrich joined them in hiding behind the mass of stone. Immediately after crouching down, he took a moment to bop Odd on the head. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but suck it up! We could use the extra help here!" The two glared at each other, one of them rubbing his head where he had just been hit. Then they seemed to have a silent agreement, a moment of comprehension that only best friends could understand. "Okay, Della Robbia, who is she?" Ulrich said with a smirk.

Odd's glare sharpened before Jeremy's voice sounded from seemingly thin air. "I don't care who she is, be careful Odd! You've only got thirty life points left, while everyone else still has over fifty! Just get Aelita to the activated tower so William can stop-" he cut off with an audible wince- "Ouch. Never mind that, William just got knocked out." Odd shuddered at the vindictive grin that quickly spread on Ulrich's face. William was still flirting with Yumi, and Ulrich seemed to take great joy in the other boy's pain. 'Sadist...' Odd thought. "I suggest you guys HURRY UP! The possessed wolf pack is on their way over here!"

The whole gang shared a look before nodding in agreement. A small grin curled Yumi's mouth. "So, Odd, new girlfriend?" She teased, a light laugh escaping her as she snapped open her fans. Odd mimicked her, setting his hand on wrist and getting ready to fire his weapon. "Sorry, Odd, I'm just curious!"

Odd wouldn't have looked at her if it weren't for the sincere tone in her voice. Even her expression was sincere. Odd sighed, his face unconsciously melting into a grin as his mind went back to that dance he had with Alana, not even twenty minutes ago. "No, not a new girlfriend. Just someone I met tonight." He and Yumi leaped into the air at the same time, letting loose their aerial weapons together. The arrow and the fan connected with two different crabs, causing the enemies to explode. "She said her name was Alana Faye."

Ulrich zipped past them, an orange blur that was only distinguishable by the flashing katana. "Alana Faye? Seriously? Why does it feel like I've heard that name somewhere before...?"

Aelita dashed forward, getting as close to the glowing tower. "You should have. Sissi's been bragging that she's going to get an awesome new roommate. Also, the supposed awesome new roommate is her cousin. By name, said cousin is Alana Faye."

Odd darted to the side, cleanly dodging the beam of a mega tank. It was the best dodge he'd done all day. "Are you serious? Please tell me you're joking, Princess. Please tell me Alana isn't related to Sissi." Aelita took the chance to shoot an energy field into the 'eye' of the mega tank, destroying it. "Nice shot! Have you been practicing when we aren't looking, Aelita?"

Aelita smiled in response, firing off two more energy fields at a couple of incoming hornets. One connected, and that hornet exploded in mid-air. The other monster, however, swerved out of the way. It shot a small laser beam at the pink-haired girl from its tail. Aelita seemed to brace herself before leaning expertly out of the way and running toward the tower again. "While he may not know it, Jim is really helping us out when he forces the class to play dodge-ball in gym class!" She called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the tower's wall/root thingy.

Everyone but Ulrich laughed lightly as they continued to fight. When there were only a few monsters left, Ulrich looked at each of his friends thoughtfully. "You know," he said, watching as Yumi destroyed another block with her fan, "we should talk more about Odd's love life while fighting."

Odd stumbled a bit, caught off-guard by Ulrich's seemingly off-hand comment. He shot an arrow at the hornet Aelita had missed, destroying the last of the enemies. Without watching it explode, he spun around and pointed an accusatory finger at Ulrich, almost touching the samurai's nose. "And just what, best buddy of mine, do you mean by that?" He demanded, putting his other hand on his hip.

Ulrich growled and swatted Odd's hand out of his face. "Even after all this time, you have no concept on what the words 'personal space' mean." Odd pouted while Yumi grinned and joined her boyfriend. "What I mean by that, Odd, is that none of us actually got hit when we started having casual conversation while the monsters were trying to kill us." He paused to let the other two absorb that before going on. "When we talked like that, we just seemed to... to..." He trailed off, apparently not being able to find the words. He turned to his girlfriend. "A little help here, Yumi?"

Yumi nodded, grinning. "I think I know what you mean. While we were talking, we seemed to relax and that, in turn, sharpened our reflexes."

Ulrich nodded before facing Odd again. "I saw you dodge that tank's blast, Odd. That was the best one since..." He hesitated, and his eyes widened in both surprise and realization. "Since I got together with Yumi two months ago!" Yumi must have understood as well, because she burst out laughing. Odd looked away with a pout as Ulrich's grin widened. "Aw, Odd, are you jealous?" Ulrich teased, laughing along with his girlfriend.

Odd's pout deepened. If they had been in the real world, his face would have been alight with a rosy blush. "No, I'm not jealous..." He mumbled, kicking at the virtual ground. "Maybe just a bit..." He paused, thinking for a moment. Odd wasn't a male that usually spoke his feelings aloud and out-right. "Maybe just a bit... lonely, I guess." He decided. The three of them looked up as the red tower faded from an angry crimson to a gentle white. "Okay, she's finished. Can you materialize us now?" Odd asked, a slight tone of impatience in his voice.

Jeremy's chuckled floated through the air. "Aw, I think you guys embarrassed him!" He said, laughing a bit. He was much more at ease, now that Aelita had finished with the tower. Clicking could be heard from him.

Odd growled and turned his head away with an 'hmph'. "Odd Della Robbia does NOT get embarrassed!" He said hotly, crossing his arms over his chest. He winced as his claws picked at his skin, and he instead chose to place his fists on his hips. "Okay, that was kinda a stupid move..." He mumbled, glaring at the ground.

Ulrich smirked and nodded. "Then again, when have smart moves ever been your expertise, Odd?" He chuckled at his own joke before going on. "And the entire world knows you don't get embarrassed. It would explain why you put that stupid music video of yours on the Internet a few years ago!"

The purple-clad boy spun around to gape at Ulrich, a mock gasp of indignation seeming to puff him up. "Excuse me, Ulrich dear?" He pretended to hiss, the ends of his mouth twitching at Ulrich's oh-so-hated nickname. "I'll have you know that Break Break Break Dance would have been, could have been, and still is, awesome! It's too bad I used Sissi's face in the back, though. That's what chased everyone off!" He lost the battle to keep the grin off of his face. If they had been in the material world, his eyes would have been dancing with obvious mischief. "Imagine what they would have done if they had actually met her! Probably run for the hills, screaming their heads off!"

All of his friends laughed at the expense of the pink-loving girl while they were disappearing into little virtual pixels. Odd felt a sudden flash of apprehension. It was common fact that Sissi wasn't liked. If anyone questioned why, they'd only have to meet the daughter of the Kadic Academy principle, then they'd swear ultimate hatred of her themselves. But Alana was related to Sissi; they were kin. How would the girl that he had danced with react to their taunts and jokes of her cousin?

When Odd stepped out of the scanner to the wide room, he saw that Jeremy had joined the fighters of the Lyoko Warriors. "Heya Einstein!" He yelled in an Odd-like fashion, meaning loud and unnecessary. He clapped Jeremy heartily on the back, making his glasses go askew on his face. Jeremy fixed them with both a grumble of annoyance, and a grin of amusement. "Any news on our good ol' buddy, William?"

With those eight words, the air of the team went from victorious and happy to uneasy and apprehensive. "Well..." Jeremy started, cleaning his glasses and putting them back on, "from what I gathered from the police reports, he'll be fine. An ambulance has picked him up already. He'll be hooked up to life-support until he wakes up, which the hospital believes will be in a week or so."

Yumi's forehead furrowed in a thought, and she seemed to unconsciously scoot closer to Ulrich. He responded by wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her against him. "Life support... That means he'll have a direct electrical current running through his body, right?" The atmosphere grew tenser as everyone understood what she was getting at. "XANA has a direct link to William's body now." Yumi announced, clutching at Ulrich's hand that rested on her hip. "Do you think he'll try to take over William's body again?"

Jeremy put his hand to his chin and closed his eyes. "Hm..." He mused. He stayed like that for a good two minutes, the others watching him silently, before he opened his eyes again. "It's possible, but I doubt he'd try the same thing twice. It doesn't seem his style. What I don't understand is, why didn't those possessed wolves finish William off when he was down? I doubt XANA just suddenly decided to grow a conscious and leave his former subordinate alone." He looked around at everyone, ending with looking at Aelita. "I believe it's highly possible that that despicable virus was after someone else. Maybe, just maybe, XANA was have been after a specific target."

Any response the Lyoko Warriors would have made was interrupted by the impromptu rumbling of Odd's stomach. Odd put a hand on his stomach and made a forced look of pain. "Oh, my stomach... I'm starving! I missed dinner, I need food!" He gave the gang a pleading look, even going as far as to stick out his bottom lip in a pout. "Pleeeeeeeaaaase, can we go back to Kadic, now?" He begged. Everyone laughed, but nodded anyway and went to the elevator.

**_~In Ulrich and Odd's room~_**

Odd sat on his bed in his usual night attire, consisting of an orange and red t-shirt and boxers. Ulrich sat at his desk, still in his day clothes, working on the science homework neither he nor Odd had finished. Drawback of saving the world, you've still got to do homework when you went home. Kiwi was running around the floor, playing fetch.

Ulrich looked over at his roommate in slight disgust. Junk food wrappers were littering the ground, as well as Odd's bed. Music blared from Odd's head-phones while their wearer scarfed down another brownie. Ulrich reached over to his bed and threw his pillow at Odd. "So," He said when Odd had taken off the head-phones, "what are you going to do if Faye really is related to Sissi?"

Odd glared at Ulrich, rubbing his head where the pillow connected. He threw the pillow back to Ulrich, who caught it almost casually and tossed it back into his bed. "Dunno. Why should it matter, though?" He replied, absent-mindedly rubbing Kiwi's belly when the dog brought the ball back. "Family isn't everything. Alana seemed to be really cool when we danced." He shrugged at the look Ulrich sent her. "I mean, according to both you and Yumi, Hiroki is an evil little monster, but you still love her anyway! And if she wants to date you after meeting your parents, then by Gods, marry the woman!"

Odd was on his feet and out the door before Ulrich could even process what he said. When he did, an angry blush took over the German boy's face. "ODD!!!" He yelled, covering his face.

Odd gave that high-pitched laugh he was known for before slowing down. It was only when he was in the park that the adrenaline slowed enough for him to register the cold. He sat on the bench that he and the gang usually gathered around after school. He leaned his elbows on his knees, thinking over his options. He could stay there and freeze, possibly being caught by Jim in the process. It wasn't a pleasant idea. He could go back to the dorm room. If Ulrich was still made, he'd be murdered in his sleep. "What to do, what to do?" He mused aloud, a small grin on his face.

The sudden _crack_ of a twig snapping had Odd on his feet in seconds, sinking down into an instinctual fighting stance. A familiar pair of amber eyes gleamed back at him. "Oh yes, Oddball, you're very scary in your purple bunny boxers." Alana's voice drifted out to him. Said girl ghosted from the dark of the night, thin lips pulled back into a smile of amusement.

Odd rose slowly from his crouched position, a scowl marring his usually carefree expression. His face felt like it was on fire with the violent blush that was ravaging his skin. "Well, you shouldn't be sneaking up on people in the middle of the night!" He snapped, fiercer than he meant to. Odd was slightly relieved when her only reaction to his harshness was to raise an eyebrow. "And my name is Odd, not Oddball."

Alana shrugged, leaning back against a tree with her arms crossed. "Technically, I _am_ calling you Odd. I'm just adding on to it." Odd gave her a look that said _exactly_ what he thought of that twisted logic. Alana snickered softly behind a hand. "You can stop with the dirty looks, I'm still calling you Oddball, Oddball."

Odd groaned and gave a pleading look to the sky, as if he were asking the stars what he did in a past life to deserve this punishment. The only thing he could possibly think was he committed mass murder of crippled babies. "Fine, whatever. It's not even the worst nickname I've ever gotten. Your cousin has given me much worse." He saw Alana stiffen, and some small part of him said to stop talking. But, like he always does when that small part of him pops up, he mentally flipped it the bird and told it to shut the hell up. "Why didn't you tell me you were related to Sissi?"

Alana remained stiff for about half a minute, before sighing and sulking slightly. "So then you found out." She stated. Odd gave a stiff nod, waiting for her to go on. She sighed again and walked forward until she could lean on the bench. Odd got a nice eyeful of her cleavage from his position. "I know of my cousin's reputation. Could you honestly tell me that if you had known, it wouldn't have impeded your judgment of me?" His silence was answer enough for her. "My point exactly. And if you're going to stare at my chest, then at least do me the favor of pretending not to be."

Odd snapped his head back up, his face blushing even more. "Meep!" He squeaked, now not even looking at her. What anger there had been was burned up by the wave of embarrassment. "Sorry, sorry!" He tried to keep his eyes away, he really did! But somehow, his gaze drifted back down, and he found himself once again staring at her chest.

Alana threw her head back and laughed. Odd watched her breasts bounce a few times before looking back up to her smiling face. "I never would have pegged you as a perv, Oddball." She said, letting loose a small giggle every now and then. She covered her mouth with a hand, trying to stifle the laughter. When she felt she had herself back under control, she vaulted over the bench and took a seat. "So if I may ask, Oddball, what brings you out at this time of the night?"

Odd joined her, shrugging in the process. He puffed out a small breath and watched the mist disappear into the air. "A hostile roommate. Who knew Ulrich had no sense of humor?" He felt Alana stiffen at his side, but brushed it off. "I make one crack about him and Yumi, and he charges like Sissi on a bad hair day!"

The moment those words left his mouth, he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Alana was immediately on her feet, looming over him like a dark assailant. "Do _NOT_," she hissed, "insult my cousin. Even if she doesn't have the best reputation, she's still family. I will protect her, Oddball, never forget that."

Odd bobbed his head up and down swiftly. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing ominously at the slight menace her expression held. Dang, this chick was _scary_ when she wanted to be! "Alright, alright, fine! No more bashing Sissi when you just happen to be around!" They stared at each other, each gauging the others reaction. Hating the sudden uncomfortableness of their conversation, Odd went on. "But it's not like she doesn't deserve it! She's isn't exactly known for being all rainbows and lollipops."

He had no idea what reaction he was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn't the one he got. She could have slapped him across the face, or yelled at him, or even threatened him. But no, she didn't do any of that. Instead, Alana Faye _burst out laughing_ at him. And, at the risk of sounding absolutely corny, he had to admit to himself that it was one of the most... Well, not exactly _beautiful_, but unique laughs he'd ever heard. It wasn't that high-pitched, annoying tinkling laugh that Sissi had, nor was it the soft, easy that laugh both Aelita and Yumi had. Alana's laugh was both low and loud. If it weren't for the fact that her breasts were once again bouncing in her laughter, he'd think that laugh belonged to a male. And _those_ definitely were female.

Odd soon found himself joining in her laughter. They made an almost pretty harmony, her low-pitched laugh and his high-pitched. When they finally slowed their mirth, the moon had slid half-way through the sky. Alana retook her seat on the bench, this time sitting closer to him. She giggled once more before speaking. "Where the hell did 'rainbows and lollipops' come from?" She asked, grinning.

Odd had to slow his breathing first before could answer. He wiped away a tear of mirth from his eye before shrugging, flashing his teeth in his classic 'Odd-smile'. "To tell you the truth, I have absolutely NO idea. I have this incredibly bad habit of just blabbing whatever comes to my mind first. Sometimes, what I say isn't even on my mind, I just say it!" They shared another short laughter before he posed his own question. "So, what brings you out here in the dead of the night?"

He missed the sudden tensing and relaxing of her muscles. Alana's grin never faltered. "Unlike you, my roommate isn't homicidal. I just plain couldn't sleep." She made a gesture with her hand, indicating the general space around them. "Too many worries about tomorrow, too many thoughts about the future. First day jitters and all, ya' know?" Odd said nothing, and she snorted. "If everyone reacts the way you did about my relation with Sissi, I may have a harder time of it then I thought."

Odd sighed and rested his head back, eying the patch of stars that breached the foliage above them. "Nah, not everyone will react like that just because of you being related to Sissi. Not everyone is as..." He paused, searching for the word to describe his brief rant earlier.

Alana giggled softly again. "Temperamental, stubborn, hot-headed?" She said, fluttering her eyelashes playfully. Odd snickered and nodded, raising his hands in defeat. They shared another short laugh before Odd suddenly sneezed and curled in on himself, huddling for warmth. That's when they both realized something very important, something the both of them should have realized much sooner: Odd Della Robbia was clad in only a thing t-shirt and boxers. Alana looked away, a small blush already lighting up her features. She cleared her throat a bit before speaking. "Maybe you should go back to your dorm room, before you get really sick."

Odd frowned, looking back in the direction of the dormitory. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Here's hoping Ulrich is either asleep or calmed down." He stood up with a yawn and stretched, raising his arms high above his head. His shirt rode up a little, giving Alana a nice view of his toned stomach. _'Dang... Who'd have though that Oddball would be so ripped?'_ Odd put his arms down and held out a hand to help her up. Alana blinked at it in shock before taking it. Odd pulled her up and bowed, ever the sarcastic gentleman. "Shall I walk you back to your tower, fair maiden?" He asked, grinning sarcastically.

Alana returned the grin and pretended to curtsy, playing along with his little game. "The simple offer brings much warmth to my lonely heart, young knight. But, alas, the temperamental ogre that guards both of our castles may soon awaken." She giggled at Odd's shocked look; it had been way too long since a girl had played along with his medieval speaking. Alana quickly translated her ye old words. "I'd like that, but Jim may be up soon, and you don't want to get caught."

Odd snickered at the thought of Jim's face is anyone called him an ogre to his face. "Ah well. I'm assuming you'll be in out class in the morning?" His grin widened at Alana's small nod. "Then here is where we part ways, my dear. Until the dawn comes, I bid you adieu." He bowed over her hand again, brushing his lips softly against the back of it, before taking off back to his room.

Alana watched him go, her arm still oustretched and the hand that Odd kissed still tingling from his touch. With a broad smile, she turned away from him and started for her own dormitory, where hopefully Sissi was still snoring away with her face mask on. She paused and looked back down at her hand, another blush overtaking her features, before she raised her head to the stars above. _'Looks like staying here is going to be a lot more interesting than I first thought.'_

* * *

**_((I'm sorry that it's so short. I can't promise the next one will be out much sooner, or be any longer. Excuse any mistakes, my computer is being mean. And a new thing: Each chapter title will be the name of the song that helped inspire me to finish it. Review please!))_**


	3. In Pieces

It was a shock for Susan Hertz, the biology teacher of Kadic Academy, to walk into her classroom and actually see Odd Della-Robia with his head up, eyes open, completely alert. It was such a shock, in fact, that she exclaimed, "Holy crap, Della-Robia is actually awake!" It brought about both a stunned and awkward silence from her students. With a small blush, she cleared her throat self-consciously. "I mean… Nice to see you among the living, Odd."

Odd chuckled nervously, the snickers of two of his best friends ringing in his ears. "Well, I heard rumors of there being a new girl today. And what if she's cute?" He widened his eyes comically, making Ulrich and Jeremy laugh louder. "I can't exactly let anyone get to her first, now could I?" He yelped as both Ulrich and Jeremy respectively hit him with a book and a paper ball. "Ow! I was kidding, guys!" He rubbed his head, glaring at his German best friend. "And you! What has been with you and aiming for my head lately? This is the fifth time since yesterday that you've hit me there!"

Ulrich chuckled, balancing his chair on their back legs. "And you deserved all of it." He retorted.

Odd met his smirk with a pout. "The one in the park?" Ulrich's smirk grew. "The one in lunch?" Still, it grew wider. "The hit this morning, when you were getting me up?"

At that one, Ulrich shrugged. "No, that one you didn't really deserve. I just wanted to hit you." Odd whined as the class started laughing. No one laughed as hard as Sissi, who found anything relating to Odd in pain hilarious. Bloody psycho.

Ms. Hertz settled the class down, sporting her own mildly amused smile. "Alright, class, settle down. As Mr. Della-Robia stated, we have a new student joining the class today." She motioned to the door, and a familiar figure walked in. "Why don't you introduce yourself to the class, Miss Faye?"

Alana smirked and nodded a greeting to the class. "Yo. My name is Alana. I won't stand for a nickname, because it's not a very hard name to remember. Seriously, there are three freaking vowels in it." She scowled at the chuckles that came from the classroom and went on. "Anyone that wants to be friends must put up with a nickname from me, however. Example numero uno." She sauntered forward, leaning an elbow on Sissi's head. "This chick here, ya'll know as Sissi. She's my cousin, and her name is Lizzy-chan."

Sissi whined and swiped half-heartedly at Alana. "Why? Why must my family insist on humiliating me with my real name?" She cried, bashing her head on her desk. Herb and Nicolas cried out in shock. "Oh, shut up you simpletons!" Sissi hissed at them.

Alana laughed and poked at Sissi's head. "Ooh, simpleton? That's a big word for you, Lizzy-chan. Have you been reading the dictionary again?" She clicked her tongue mockingly a few times, waving her finger in a 'no-no' fashion. "You really shouldn't read too much, dear cousin of mine. You know what it does to that oh so _tender_ brain of yours."

Odd and Ulrich laughed loudly at Sissi's look of outrage while Alana just grinned. "You were right, Odd." Ulrich said. "I like this Alana chick already!"

Odd grinned at his best friend widely, flashing his white teeth. "Hey now buddy, you've got Yumi. Leave this to one to me!" He dodged Ulrich's punch by leaning forward, laughing louder at the blush on his face.

Alana turned to grin at them, walking away from Sissi to lean on their desk. "And this is my newest friend named Oddball." Here, she paused and swiped at Odd's hair, making it bend backwards before going back straight. "All though, I may alternate that with troll, since his hair kinda reminds me of those stupid little troll dolls Lizzy-chan used to collect."

Odd glared at her half-heartedly, pouting again. "Oddball is bad enough. Why do you have to call me troll as well?" He whined, giving her the magical teary wide-eyed look that so many girls had fallen to in the past.

Instead of blushing and taking it back like an idiot, Alana squealed and hugged him to her. "You are just adorable when you made that face!" She released him, and grinned at his gaping face. "But I'm still not taking it back."

Odd copied Sissi in thumping his head on his desk, before throwing his head back and covering his eyes with an arm. "Oh, Alana, you wound me so!" He whined dramatically, leaning back into his chair. Ulrich took the chance to kick Odd's chair out from under him, making him tumble to the ground. Alana was forced to take a step back to avoid getting hit by his flailing arms. "Oomph!" Odd released as his butt collided with the ground.

Again, the class erupted into laughter, this time Alana and Ulrich being the loudest. For a second, their eyes met. In that second, Alana stopped laughing and narrowed her eyes at him. Ulrich's laughter dimmed into a nervous chuckle. Alana looked him over, raising an eyebrow. "_You_ are 'Ulrich Dear'?"

Ulrich gulped, not liking that glint in her eye. "Um… Yes?" It came out as a question rather than an answer.

"Ah. I see…" No one immediately understood what was happening. One moment, Alana was staring at Ulrich with Odd on the floor between them. The next, Alana had jumped over Odd to punch Ulrich in the face. He was so surprised that he yelped, and it was all he could do was defend himself. "Never," punch, "ever," punch "come near," punch, "Lizzy-chan", punch, "ever again, Stern!" She punctuated the last statement with a kick to his gut. Ulrich pulled his hands down from his face to hold his stomach. Alana took the chance to bop him on the face, and Ulrich fell over Jeremy's desk.

It took another second for everyone to understand what had happened. This new girl had just attacked one of the strongest and most popular guys of the school. Pure chaos erupted. Sissi jumped out of her see, eyes blazing, as she stomped over to Alana. "What was that about, you crazy idiot!" She hissed, trying to tug Alana away.

Alana didn't move. She kept her eyes on Ulrich, grinning sadistically as he groaned and held one hand to his bleeding lip, the other on his aching gut. "That was for all the torment you put my kin through. Like I said, Stern, never come near Lizzy-chan ever again, and we won't have a repeat of this little discussion." Every single word came out in a hiss, her amber eyes narrowed into dangerous looking flints.

Everyone but Alana and the Lyoko Gang jumped as the door was slammed open, and Francois Delmas stomped in. Ms. Hertz peeked over his shoulder, an upset frown on her wrinkled face. "What is going on in here!?!?" He roared. He didn't seem surprised to see Alana standing over Ulrich. In fact, he groaned and hid his face behind a hand. "Alana, dear, what did I tell you a week before you came to live here?" He sighed, shaking his head.

Alana did a 180, both physically and in personality. "I believe, Uncle, that you said," she struck up a pose and pointed a finger in the air, screwing up one eye. She purposefully made her voice low and gruff, imitating Mr. Delmas. "I will not tolerate you getting into any fights, young lady! The first person you get into a fight with, you will…" She trailed off, eyes going wide in seeming horror. "No. I refuse."

Delmas gave a smile that seemed _very_ creepy to those who were watching silently. "It seems, Alana, that you have no choice in the matter. I gave you a clear warning long before you got here. Until you've learned your lesson, you will be made to live with Ulrich and Odd."

He was bombarded with several different complaints. "But sir, that would be co-ed!" Ulrich protested.

"Y-Yeah, what would the other parents think?" Odd stammered. He was really only worried about how they'd hide Kiwi from her.

"What they said, old man! Besides, I refuse to live with Stern while Sissi is so bloody enamored with him!" Alana scowled, hands on her hips.

That brought a confused look to both faces of Sissi and Odd. "What's enamored mean?" Odd whispered to Sissi. It was met with a shrug and a short 'I'unno.' Odd looked over at Jeremy to ask him, but saw him already texting on his cell phone. 'Probably sending a distress to the others.' He thought.

When Jeremy looked up, there was a defeated look on his face. With a sigh, he stood up and intervened in the discussion. "Sir, while I don't entirely agree with the punishment, may I offer a compromise?" Everyone blinked in surprise as he stepped up. Mr. Delmas nodded, letting Jeremy continue. "Since you already warned Alana, it's only proper that she be punished." He flashed a look at Alana's snort before going on. "But the problem would be a male and female sharing a room. So my proposition is this: why doesn't she room with Aelita and spend the day with our entire group?"

Delmas still looked unsure, so Alana heaved a miserable sign and nodded. "Yeah, I guess that works out. I'd rather not have to move away from Lizzy-chan, as we literally only just finished unpacking my shit-"

"Language!" Delmas said sternly.

Alana sighed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. My crap only just got unpacked earlier, now we have to pack it all up again." She and Sissi shared an anguished look that spoke of sadness more than just the reasons Alana had given. It was the first time Ulrich and Jeremy thought of Alana as real. Ever since Odd's story, they'd thought of her as a fairy tale, or a story he'd made up to make himself not feel as lonely. Now here, in front of them, were two girls, kin, that were being torn from each other as soon as they'd come together.

Delmas nodded agreement, the stern 'authority' look on his face. Authority… Ha, yeah right. "Yes… Well, then…" He looked at Ms. Hertz and nodded to her. "Carry on with your class, Ms. Hertz." He glared at Alana once more, gave Sissi a hug, and left the classroom.

Ms. Hertz nodded and looked at her students. "Go back to your seats, students. All of you, now!" She snapped fiercely. Well, as fierce as an old lady with a crinkly voice can get. Everyone but Alana scrambled back to their seats. Hertz sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, pushing up her glasses. "What now, Miss Faye?"

Alana laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Um… I kinda don't have a seat yet, ma'am." Outside, a bird suddenly flew from its perch at the enraged scream from the science building.

_Lunch_

Odd shoveled the food down his throat, happily filling his stomach for the first time since all of his friends paired up. The others, while happy he had his appetite back, watched in mild disgust. No one watched with more disgust than Sissi Delmas, who had refused to leave her cousin's side. Alana was more fascinated than disgusted. "Dude, how the hell are you still so skinny?" She asked, blinking at him.

Odd looked up, his cheeks puffed out with food. He didn't have to say anything; his group said it for him. "He isn't skinny, he's svelte." They chorused in unison. Odd glared at them all, though the effect was kind of ruined by the crumbs of food around his mouth. Everyone shared a nice little laugh at his misfortune before they started glaring at each other again.

The spiky-haired blonde swallowed and sighed, reaching over to poke Alana on her arm. "Hey, what's your schedule like?" Alana blinked in surprise before digging through her bag, pulling out a paper and handing it over silently. Odd mumbled out-loud as he compared her classes with his own mental list. "Gym with Jim next," he chuckled at Alana's snort/snicker, "math with Arwin, and… French with Pietro?"

He raised an eyebrow at her in wonder. She returned the gesture, leaning her cheek against a fist. She shrugged at him, playing with her own food. "I'm not a native to France." She explained. "My father grew up here. Mum is full-blooded American. Grew up in the States with two best friends, pen-palled Lizzy-chan, and learned very minimal French."

Sissi had visible stiffened while Alana was speaking, and she kept her eyes on her own tray of slop. The Lyoko Gang exchanged confused looks, sensing the sudden tension between the cousins. It was Ulrich who broke the silence. "So, why did you get sent here?" He ventured to ask.

He wished he hadn't, though. Alana glared hatefully at him, hissing her response between clenched teeth. "That isn't your business, Mister Grumpy Pants." She said, ignoring the bewildered looks of Aelita and Jeremy at the nickname. The pink-haired angel only sighed and shook her head, standing up. "Going somewhere, princess?" Alana asked more sharply than she meant to.

Despite the tone, the pink-haired angel of the group smiled gently at her. "I've heard that you're going to be my new roommate. I'm going to go clean up your side of the room so that you can move in easier." She bowed to the group as a whole with her hands clasped in front of her and smiled brightly at Jeremy. "Will I see you in the computer lab, Jeremy?"

Jeremy chuckled, fixing his glasses on his face so that the light hid his eyes. "But of course, Aelita dear. Where else would we meet for a date?" He ignored a small 'The movies, like normal people' from Odd and stood up to give his girlfriend a small peck on the lips.

"NERD LOVE!" Alana shouted loudly. Heads from the neighboring tables turned to stare at her as Jeremy and Aelita sprang apart, their faces burning. Alana cackled at Jeremy's glare when Aelita practically ran away. "Get used to it Einstein! As long as this punishment holds, you two are going to be hearing that a lot!"

She grinned when Jeremy turned away. Sissi stiffened again at her side and growled darkly. Alana frowned and looked where she was looking. Yumi was hurrying over to them, discreetly slipping her cell phone back into her pocket. She didn't pay Sissi and Alana any acknowledgement. Word got around fast about Alana beating Ulrich up. "Hey guys." She said, leaning down to kiss Ulrich's cheek. "Sorry I'm late; I called the hospital to get an update on William's condition."

Alana's brow furrowed in confusion as the three boys frowned and became serious. "And?" Jeremy urged her forward. He learned against the table and folded his hands together, resting his chin on top of his interlaced fingers. "Do they have any guess on when he's going to wake up?" Yumi shook her head slowly, and he gave a dejected sigh with closed eyes. "Well, at least he's alive. We've got to thank our lucky stars for that. Those wolves really did a number on him."

Sissi gasped at the same time Alana said, "Wait, wolves?" Yumi glared at her angrily, putting her arms protectively around Ulrich from behind. Alana kept her eyes on Jeremy, not moving as she flipped the Japanese girl the bird. "There shouldn't be any wolves at all here. They were either killed or moved to the US long ago." She looked around subtly, motioning to Sissi to move and hide her. She took her phone and flipped it open, scrolling through something. She narrowed her eyes at it. "Three wolves escaped from the zoo last week. They were seen by a few keepers fleeing into the forests in an easterly direction."

She raised her eyes to meet the gazes of everyone. "It also says that these wolves were born in captivity. They were hand-raised by the vet of the zoo, and taught never to raise a paw or snarl at a human. Either your friend antagonized those wolves into attacking, or something was wrong with them."

At first, there was silence after her proclamation. Yumi and Ulrich exchanged uneasy looks. Alana was too close to the truth for comfort. Jeremy and Odd stared at her in mixed shock and amazement. Sissi didn't react, staring down at her food with clenched fists. "Dude…" Odd said in awe, "that… that was awesome…" He yelped when Ulrich swiftly bopped him on the head from across the table. "Dude!" He said again, this time with a considerably far less amount of awe. "Where did that come from? Completely uncalled for, Ulrich!"

Completely uncalled for it was, it did the task of lifting everyone's spirits. Sissi and Yumi were both laughing at Odd, seeming to momentarily forget their rivalry in their shared pleasure of Odd's pain. Even Jeremy couldn't stifle a small chuckle at the craziness of his friends. Alana's mouth twitched, like she was trying to hold back a smile, and leaned against her fist with her elbow on the table. "My my, why so abusive, Mister Grumpy Pants? Oddball did nothing wrong!"

Sissi snorted, swiftly jabbing a finger into Alana's side to bring about a small squeak. "Says the girl that says 'The worse I treat my friends, the more I love them'." She ducked under Alana's fist, sticking her tongue out and flicking a bit of mashed potatoes at her. "Don't deny it; it's on your blog from before you came here. After all," she gave the evil little Sissi-grin, the one that makes you want to shrink back in fear, "why else would you call me a bitch if you didn't love me?" Silence. "…Oh, I hate you all." She scowled, glaring at her food.

Alana laughed softly, taking a glob of what was supposed to be spinach and swiping it across her cousin's cheek. "You know I love you, Lizzy-chan. But you know as well as I that your mean streak has gone way overboard in the past." Sissi grumbled something incoherently, turning her nose away from everyone. Alana frowned before smirking. She took the edge of Sissi's lunch tray and flipped it up, splattering her with all assortments of supposed-to-be food.

At first, she was still. Everyone watched her, waiting for her reaction. Then she turned slowly. The look in her eyes made everyone but Alana take a gulp. But instead of retaliating, Sissi stood up and walked away, toward the bathrooms. Odd let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and stared at Alana. "I don't know how you got away with that without a single word." He told her.

Alana shrugged, wiping off the food Sissi had put on her. "Don't worry too much about it. Lizzy-chan's bark is worse than her bite. That and she knows that I'll bite back." She laughed at the look of alarm on their faces and waved it off. "I repeat, chill! She may be mean, but my cousin would never intentionally hurt someone. Accidents that seem purposeful, there are plenty of." Odd noticed the way her amber eyes flashed, but the moment passed so fast he doubted it even happened. "But Lizzy-chan is a good person, if you just give her a chance."

With a sigh, she rose in her seat and pushed her tray over to Odd. "Here you go, Oddball. Take the rest of mine; I'm going to our… _Lizzy-chan's_ room to pack my shit." She gave the peace sign to everyone, though she made the 'I'm watching you' gesture to Ulrich. "Remember my warning, Mr. Grumpy Pants. Stay away from Lizzy-chan!"

Ulrich raised his hands, and the group watched Alana stalk away to the stairs. "I don't like her." Yumi grumbled, taking the seat that Sissi's cousin had vacated. "She's way too loud and violent, and she thinks that everyone should listen to her!" She scowled and crossed her arms, glaring at Odd as he shrugged and went back to eating. "Can't you even try to calm her down, Odd? She seems to only listen to you."

Odd shrugged, pulling Alana's tray closer. "I would, but I don't want to risk scaring her away. She feels like the type that wouldn't hide herself just because I ask her to. And besides that, I like her loudness!" He gave the wide Odd-grin to his friends, bits of food still in his teeth. "It's not everyday I meet someone able to beat Ulrich up."

None of the others spoke, looking at something beyond his shoulder. He turned and saw Sissi standing there, the front of her shirt free of food. She was looking at him with an expression they'd never seen on her face: thoughtful and curious. "You only met her a few days ago, but you already know her so well…" With a sigh, she took her original seat next to Yumi. "She won't thank me for this, but would you guys like to know why my aunt and uncle sent her here?" They all nodded eagerly. With a sigh, Sissi began to tell Alana's story.

_**((Next chapter will be Alana's story. Review, please!))**_


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